Table 1.

Key Table. Overview of the Common Names and Currently Known Functions of the SARS-CoV-2 Viral Proteins^a

Structural protein	Function	Refs
Spike protein	Viral entry – binds to ACE2 receptor and heparan sulfate	[25,94]
Envelope protein	Virion structure	[3]
Membrane protein	Virion structure	[3]
Nucleocapsid	Houses genome, interferes with host translation and cell cycle, regulates cytoskeleton organization	[30,99]
Nonstructural protein
NSP1	Inhibits host translation and the IFN response	[33,35]
NSP2	Disrupts cell cycle progression and apoptosis, possibly regulates actin assembly	[37,38]
NSP3	Facilitates transcription of the viral genome, arrests cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase, contains PLpro which antagonizes host immune responses and frees NSPs 1–3	[40,95,97]
NSP4	Participates in membrane rearrangement	[45]
NSP5	Contains the main protease, regulates epigenetic and gene expression, influences ER and mitochondrial functioning	[2,48,50]
NSP6	Restricts host autophagosome expansion	[52]
NSP7	Complexes with NSP8 to form RNA primase	[53]
NSP8	Complexes with NSP7 to form RNA primase	[53]
NSP9	RNA-binding phosphatase	[56]
NSP10	Activation cofactor for NSP14 and NSP16	[60,61]
NSP11	Unknown	[98]
NSP12	RdRp – complexes with NSP7 and NSP8 to replicate viral genome	[65]
NSP13	Helicase	[69,70]
NSP14	3′-5′-exoribonuclease, interacts with replication-transcription complex	[74]
NSP15	Endoribonuclease, IFN inhibitor, and modifies host cell cycle progression	[76,79]
ORF3a	Ion channel protein, influences cytokine responses	[81,82]
ORF6	Inhibits antiviral IFN response	[84]
ORF7a	Suppresses STAT1 phosphorylation, inhibits type 1 IFN response	[8]
ORF7b	Suppresses STAT1 and STAT2 phosphorylation, inhibits type 1 IFN response	[8]
ORF8	Inhibits antiviral IFN response, immune evasion virulence factor	[78]

^aThe proteins are divided between structural and nonstructural types. The functions and associated references are provided for each protein.